After reports surfaced that the CBI may file an FIR against Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, the entire state Cabinet Friday accused the Centre of attempting to destabilise the state government. All ministers, including 'rebels' like health minister Kaul Singh Thakur, threw their weight behind the CM and his “unquestioned” leadership. The CBI is investigating a disproportionate assets case against the chief minister. [related-post] Singh is also facing Income Tax proceedings into his revised I-T returns of three years 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 when his income showed a huge increase, from several lakhs to crores. Singh had attributed this to higher sales from his apple orchards. He was the union minister for steel during this period . Sources said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was also investigating allegations against the CM and his family, and his private secretary Subhash Ahluwalia. In a hard-hitting statement signed by all the ministers, the cabinet “strongly feared” the misuse of the CBI to implicate Virbhadra Singh in false and fabricated cases despite the fact that some proceedings in the Income Taxes were sub-judice . “The BJP was making desperate bid to divert the attention of the people by attempting to register false FIRs against the established Congress leaders in the Country whereas they were maintaining complete silence over the questionable conduct of their own leaders," said the ministers. The signatories who included Vidya Stokes ,Kaul Singh Thakur, G.S. Bali, Sujan Singh Pathania, Thakur Singh Bharmouri, Mukesh Agnihotri, Sudhir Sharma, Prakash Chaudhary, Dr. (Col) Dhani Ram Shandil, Anil Sharma and newly indicted minister Karan Singh.
